Ch'garh HC rejects plea to quash Cong MLA's election in 2008

The Chhattisgarh High Court has rejected a petition seeking to quash the election of Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma from Konta assembly constituency in 2008.
Yesterday, Justice Sunil Sinha observed that the election of Lakhma was correct and rejected the petition, the legislator's counsel Satish Chandra Verma said today.
Earlier, the court had reserved its verdict on the petition, filed by BJP candidate Padam Nanda and another party worker Kichhe Joga, for January 9.
The case pertains to 2008 Chhattisgarh Assembly elections when Lakhma had defeated BJP's nominee Padam Nanda by 192 votes from Konta seat of Bastar region.
Later Nanda and another Joga had challenged his election in the HC accusing the Congress leader of using wrong ways to acquire votes, Verma said.

The petitioners also alleged that Kawasi had influenced the government officials to work in his favour, he added.
In this connection, the court had recorded the statements of Lakhma and the officials involved in polling.
In the last hearing, the court ruled that as election has been conducted for the second time in Konta constituency during the just-concluded 2013 Chhattisgarh assembly election, the petition challenging the previous election stands no longer eligible and had reserved its judgment for January 9, Verma said.